What is The IoT

A relatively new term and one that I just discovered. It means, the Internet of Things and is a hobby unto it’s own.

According to Wikipedia…

The Internet of things ( IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.

So, what does it all mean?

Tiny computers have hit the market… well, okay, they’ve been around for quite a while, like almost a decade or so.

They are small, inexpensive computers that have the ability to be programmed for different things. The concept was to use it as a way to teach people how to program and interact with the outside world.

The Arduino board, for example, is an example of one such computer. The Raspberry Pi, written elsewhere in this Category is another. The Arduino board is available in a number of different sizes and costs, most of which relate to computing speed and the number of I/O (input and output) pins that can connect to other devices.

For example, there’s the Arduino Mega for $19.00 CAD; the Arduino Uno for $15.00 CAD; the Arduino Uno for $5.00 CAD or the absolutely teeny-tiny Seeeduino for $9.60 CAD

What Kind of Devices?

I’m glad you asked. They could be accelerometers, the kind that’s found in your cell phone to know if it’s falling. They could be gyroscopes, like in your cell phone, that detects the orientation of the screen. They could be moisture measuring sensors, that you could use to automatically water your plants when they’re drying out. They could be WiFi Shields that connect to, you guessed it, the WiFi. Incidentally, a “shield” is a term used for a card you buy that “piggybacks” on the microprocessor boards.

With these “addon’s” and thousands more, you can build things that move. Active when the light is dim or the reverse. The opportunities are limited only by your imagination.

It’s very exciting and one that I’m looking forward to exploring it fully!